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Monday, August 29, 2011

Modaka is a special dish prepared on God Ganesha Festival.......This Modaka is a healthy sweet dish and can have it even as Break fast.

Things Needed:
Rice Flour : 2 cups
Water : 2 cups
Jaggery : 1 cup
Coconut : 2 cups .( Fresh and grated)
Cardamom : 5 to 6 seeds.
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Method:
Grate coconut . Powder the cardamom and keep it aside. Keep a pan on the fire and heat . Put grated coconut and jaggery . Mix thoroughly and stir until the moisture disappear from the coconut mixture. Add cardamom and leave it for cooling.
Now boil water in a bigger pan. Pour rice flour in a bowl and add boiled hot water slowly and mix the flour like chapati dough. Mix it well and Knead the dough thoroughly. Now apply little oil or ghee to your palm take a ball size of rice flour dough and pat it and spread little and place a spoonful of coconut jaggery mixture and cover from all side and bring it to ball shape. ( You can bring up the top of Modaka little longer too). Repeat and prepare modakas from remaining dough. Arrange all the modakas in a tray or plate.
Keep a pressure cooker on the fire . Put some water (1 to 2 cups ) in the pressure cooker and place a small vessel down and keep the arranged modakas on the top of that vessel and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Modakas are ready to serve.
Note: Mix rice flour with required water. So that the dough will be easy to prepare Modakas. You can also use idli stand to steam the Modaka. ( Same as idli prepared) . Do not use weight while steaming . Can cover the hole of pressure cooker with a glass.
15 to 16 Modaks can be prepared .

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Method:

Keep a pan on the fire. Roast Toor daal until its brown. Shift it to a plate. Now roast fenugreek seeds until its brown and add coriander seeds roast for 2 minutes add curry leaves and jeera roast for 1 more minutes . Put off the gas . Add coconut and mix well. Mix with roasted Tour Daal . Let it cool .
Grind all the roasted mixture with little water and keep it aside .

Now keep a vessel on the fire. Heat for a minute and add oil. Add Mustard seeds and Urd daal . Let it spurt. Add curry leaves and cut tomatoes and squeezed tamarind pulp. Add turmeric. Mix well and leave it for boiling for 2 minutes. Add ground mixture of coconut and tour daal. Add salt to Rasam and boil for 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves and spoon full of ghee and serve Dideer ( quick ) Rasam with Hot Rice or as Soup..
4 to 5 Servings..

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Ganesha Festival is nearing .....Some tasty Prasadam should be prepared ....for Ganesh Pooja...Our Ganesha is Modaka Preeya..Means He loves Modaka......Modaka is a sweet dish made of coconut and Jagery and Maida.....you love to have them any time of the day...

Take a dough and roll like small pooris. Place 1 spoon of sweeet mixture in the middle and fold the edges togethere ..and press ..so that mixture does not come out while you fry these modakas.Prepare all the modakas together in the same way and arrange in a plate.Now keep a pan , put oil and heat . Fry modakas on medium heat until brown and remove from the pan. Arrange modakas in a tray or plate ...

Note : You can add thin rava ( one table spoon ) to Maida flour while preparing the dough. Can add lots of nuts like cashew, sesame seeds ( one tea spoon ) and puppy seeds( one tea spoon), Almond , dry grapes to coconut mixture.. Frying on low flame help you to get crispy Modakas.You can also steam Modakas instead of frying. But fried Modakas taste better. 1o to 12 Modakas can be prepared.

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Horse Gram is called Huruli in Kannada, Horse gram helps to strenghen the bones.

Horse gram is is very good for horse, he buffaloes, animals that are used for carrying loads.
Horse gram is cooked in loads and put it to the he buffaloes during the land ploughing season,. So they stay fit and fine during rainy season when ploughing the land process goes on.

Lets come back to the Horse gram/Huruli Saaru. It is healthy and provide needed minerals and vitamins to our body, keep our body warm.Not only Horse gram Rasam, chutney, idli dosa, Usuli/Sundal also can be prepared. Sweet Laddu made by Horse gram is very famous.

There are different ways to prepare rasam. Here I have just dry roasted and used horse gram.
Horse Gram Rasam goes well with Hot plain rice. It also can be served as soup.
Lets see the recipe now .

Method:

2. Dry roast horse gram till the raw smell disappear. Do it on a low flame. Leave it for cooling.
3. Grate coconut and keep it aside. Wash and cut tomato. Keep it aside.
4. Grind coconut, roasted horse gram, rasam powder and lemon size tamarind together with little water. (Consistency according to your wish).
5. Remove from the mixi jar, put the ground mixture to a big bowl or pan. Add required water and cut tomatoes.

6. Add salt, turmeric powder and boil for 5 to 6 minutes.

7. Season with mustard seeds, urid dal, ingh and curry leaves.
8. Add a spoon of fresh ghee and coriander leaves and serve.

Note :

Horse gram should be roasted well. Do it on a low flame. Use of rasam powder is optional. I have used home made rasam powder. It is always better to use home made spices. Use of tomato is also optional. (You can skip tomato). Using Garlic Seasoning is optional. Garlic lovers do love the aroma and enjoy. ( I normally do not use garlic and here too I did not use). Time : 30 MinutesServes : 3 to 4

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Dry grind Almonds and cardamom together in to powder and keep it aside. Boil water and keep it aside. Cut cashew nuts in to small pieces and keep it aside. Keep a pan on the fire. Put one table spoon of ghee . Roast cashew nuts and wheat flour nicely in that ghee. Put boiling water to the roasted mixture and stir . Now add powdered Almond and cardamom to the paste. Mix well. Now add sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir nicely until it leaves the pan. Now add the remaining ghee and stir for 5 minutes and remove the Halva from the pan and spread it in a ghee applied tray. Leave it for cooling and cut according to your wish. Tasty Halva is ready to serve.

Note: Roast wheat flour on low flame so that it does not get burnt. Roast until the raw smell disappear. Can add food colour to the halva when it is cooking . Adding Kesar (Saffron) or turmeric powder will also give beautiful colours . Can add Ripe Bananas to this halva while cooking.

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Channa -Chat is good to eat in the evenings. Its prepared using boiled channa, carrots and carrots gratings. You can use your own fillings and enjoy this chat. You can have it as it is, use it as palya or add curd and sweet and spicy chutney.

I have used channa, carrots and gooseberry. Add the toppings of your desire. Add a spoon of thick curd and enjoy.

Method :

3. Add curry leaves and grated carrots and fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add cooked channa and mix it well. Let all the moisture disappear. (Cover and cook).

5. Add salt and mix it well. Put off the gas and add grated coconut and coriander leaves.
6. You can serve this as Dry curry and you can have this as chat with your desired toppings.

Note :

Soak a cup of channa for over night and then cook with required water. You can store cooked channa in the freezer and use it whenever you need it. Use of spice is optional. You can also use the cooked channa as they are and prepare this channa chat.Serves : 3Time : 15 Minutes.

Method:

1. Put cooked channa in a bowl.
2. Add cut onions, coriander leaves, green chilly and mix it.
3. Add grated carrots and mix all the ingredients nicely. Add a pinch of garam masla.
4. Add salt, Add dahi/curd and mix it well. Top up with onions, carrots, coriander leaves.
5. Adding Sev / Potato chips on the top just before serving is optional.Preparation of Sweet and Spicy Chutney.Sweet Chutney :
Soak handful of dates, grind it with little jaggery and tamarind. Sweet chutney is ready to serve. Add a pinch of salt and mix it well just before serving.Spicy Chutney :
Grind Green chilly, coriander leaves, little jeera/cumin seeds with required water. You can use Sonf (fennel seeds) instead of jeera. Grind it thick with required water and add water if required whenever you use it.Add desired topping on the top of this ready channa, add dahi, chat masala and Enjoy.

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Method:Wash and soak Urd Daal for 1 hour . Remove all the water and grind with very little water in to rava consistency adding a spoon of rice . Remove from the jar. Add salt cut green chillies , grated ginger , coriander leaves , curry leaves , ingh and coconut. Mix thoroughly .Now apply oil to idli plates and place a spoonful of Urd mixture and steam it in a pressure cooker or Idli cooker for 8 minutes. Remove Urd Kadubu from Idli plates and serve with coconut chutney and little ghee on the top of hot kadubu.Note : The dough should not be watery . It should be thick. You can also use banana leaves instead of Idli plates . Put a spoon full of urd dough in a banana leaf and close the ends while keeping them in a cooker. It gives better aroma...to the kadubu.Serves: 4 to 5

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Haalubai is a sweet dish normally prepared during Nagara Panchami festival in Dakshina Kannada region. The pieces of Haalubai looks like thin and may be we call it as haalu(milk)baayi.(thinner tongue). This is one of the traditional dish of South Canara.

It is prepared using raw rice, coconut, jaggery and little cardamom. Rice is soaked for 2 to 3 hours and then ground with coconut into thin paste. Jaggery is added to it. You keep this mixture on the fire and stir till it gets thicker and cooked well. Then spread on the ghee spread plate/tray and cut into your disired shape.
It is easy to prepare. Use of water should be taken care. Do not make it very watery. It takes longer time to get thicken. Let it be like dosa dough.
It can be eaten with lunch as sweet dish or in the evening as snack.
Let us see the recipe

Ingredients :

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for one hour. Grind rice and coconut together nicely.
2. Remove the skin of cardamom and grind it along with rice mixture.

3. Add jaggery at the end and give 2 to 3 churn.
4. Now remove the paste from the jar and pour it to a pan.

5. Keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Pour the ground mixture. Let the flame be medium.
6. Stir this mixture till a thick paste. Add ghee and stir until the paste starts to leave the side.

7. Stir for another 4 to 5 minutes and pour it to a ghee spread plate and spread the mixture

8. Spread it as thin layer. Cut it according to your wish. Serve them with little ghee.

Note:

You can add 1 cup of water after you grind the dough. Use very little water while grinding Use of more jaggery is optional. Stirring should be done continuously, so that it does not get burnt at the bottom. Use of more ghee adds to the taste. (optional). You can disslove the jaggery with little water. Boil nicely and strain it with strainer. So that all the dirt in jaggery can be removed. Then you can add the ground rice mixture and then stir. (Some time jaggery contain unwanted dirt like small stones, thread etc). It should be boiled, filtered and used.Time : Soaking rice : 3 HoursGinding and preparing : 30 Minutes.Serves : 15 to 20 pieces. (According to the size).

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Method:
Wash and cut Mirch chillies in to small pieces. Cut coriander leaves and curry leaves.
Keep a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat for 10 seconds. Put jeera and fenugreek seeds . Add curry leaves and ingh and The big chillies and fry nicely on slow fire for 3 to 5 minutes. Add jaggery, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and fry again . Add channa powder and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes. Let it cook nicely. Now add coriander leaves and lemon juice to it and remove the curry from the pan and serve with hot chapatis.
Note : Cut chillies in to small pieces so that it cooks faster. Cook on the slow fire so that no need to add water to it.
Serves : 2 to 3

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Lemon Rasam is done normally when you have some problem with digestion or when do not feel hungry because of fever.

Lemon Rasam can be served as soup or you can have them with plain rice. This Lemon Rasam is very easy to prepare, healthy to have and simple ingredients to use.When you are really tired, a glass of rasam refreshes you and provides and boost energy. I have added moong dal because moong dal helps the rasam to be bit thick and it provides and boost energy.Let us see some benefits of having " Lemon " in our diet.
Lemon helps in treating fever, obesity, respiratory disorders, cholera and high blood pressure. It also helps to treat indigestion and constipation problems. Lemon helps in strengthening our immune system, cleanse our stomach and it is a good blood purifier. Lemon contains potassium and it helps to control blood pressure, dizziness and nausea and provides calms down both mind and body. It also helps to reduce mental stress and depression. Lemon has natural antiseptic properties and good skin care qualities. It cure skin related problems. It helps to reduce the pain of sunburns and remove the wrinkles and black heads. It has a rice source of many vitamins and minerals like, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, folate and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and protein.Let us see the recipe now:

8. Add jaggery and powdered spice mixture. Mix it well and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

9. Put off the fire and add lemon extract. ( 1 full lemon juice).

10. Shift the lemon rasam to a serving dish and add coriander leaves and serve.

Note :

Boil Moong dal nicely. So it can be smashed well. Adding more chilly is optional. Adding tamarind instead of Lemon is optional. Adding a little bit jaggery is optional. (1 Tablespoon). This Lemon Rasam can be served as soup too.Time : 20 Minutes.Serves : 2 to 3.

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.